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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rule — government
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — a hint
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com